Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the greatest presidential athlete in American history. Even though Dwight Eisenhower was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and Gerald Ford won two national championships with the Michigan Wolverines football team, Lincoln has a better track record than both of them. Over the course of his 12-year wrestling career, he dominated against his compatriots, reportedly amassing more than 300 victories and losing only once. Unlike Donald Trump, who is a WWE Hall of Famer, Lincoln was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992, where he is recognized among the greatest wrestlers in history.
In contrast to modern wrestlers, Lincoln was primarily a catch wrestler, a style of wrestling that has very few rules. Catch wrestling is defined by its quick matches and takedowns, and rose to prominence among English workers who spent their free time engaging in catch-style fights. It also has roots in Brazil, where Luta Livre, or “freestyle fighting,” was popular. Both catch and Luta Livre techniques became incredibly prevalent in Mixed Martial Arts, despite the fact that the style of wrestling has been in decline. Because catch wrestling is considered to be the foundation of folkstyle and freestyle fighting, it makes sense why a farm boy like Lincoln would excel in that kind of backyard brawl.
Lincoln’s infamous size is what made him the Hall of Fame wrestler that he was. He stood at 6 feet, 4 inches and at the time, there were few men whose height came close. Thus, Lincoln could outreach almost anyone. He likely used his height in combination with his background in farming to generate devastating takedowns and submissions. Of course, with all of his size, pinning an opponent wasn’t off the table either. Honest Abe putting a poor coal miner in a headlock could have very well been a reality — after all, he wrestled hundreds of people. Since there wasn’t a large competitive circuit, Lincoln had little desire to train to fight. He fought largely for the love of the sport.
Lincoln’s most prized match was against Jack Amstrong. Armstrong was a clerk when his boss challenged any of the local Clary’s Grove Boys to a wrestling match against Lincoln. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer marched his way to Armstrong, where a challenge was issued. Lincoln dominated the match, and Armstrong admitted his defeat. Strangely, a sense of respect sprouted between the two men.
There is one blemish in the 16th president’s wrestling career. His only confirmed loss is to Pvt. Lorenzo Dow Thompson. Although Lincoln was in the prime of his wrestling career at the time, he simply could not outmuscle the better wrestler. Lincoln was promptly thrown out of the ring where suffered his first and only defeat. After the loss, Lincoln went on to win many more matches. His wrestling fame was likely a major factor in winning the highest office in the United States.
